Review
Introduction
Chevy and Ford are the Godzilla and King Kong of pickup trucks: the strongest, best-equipped, and fiercest of rivals. The Chevy Silverado doesn’t sell quite as many units as the Ford F-150, but it’s a close-run contest.
Like the Ford, the Silverado is all things to all truckers. The base 1500 model is available in regular-, extended-, and crew-cab versions, with three bed lengths—five feet eight inches, six feet six inches, and eight feet. The heavy-duty models are available in 2500HD (three-quarter ton) and 3500HD (one ton) form, in all three cabs, with the two longer beds. All Silverados are available with rear- and all-wheel drive. Trim levels are WT, LS, LT, and LTZ.
The base Silverado comes with a 195-hp, 4.3-liter V-6 engine, but there are a number of V-8 options, from 4.8 to 6.0 liters; heavy-duty trucks have a base 6.0-liter V-8 that makes 353 horsepower and an available 6.6-liter V-8 turbo-diesel that’s good for 365 horsepower and a massive 660 pound-feet of torque, enough to tow 13,000 pounds when properly equipped. (A fifth-wheel hitch gives up to 16,700 pounds of towing capacity.)
Like all pickups, the Silverado runs the gamut from hose-me-down work truck that has less standard equipment than the cheapest car on the market to a full-boat luxury vehicle that rivals the most expensive cars on the market for amenities. The Silverado has been on the Car and Driver 5Best Trucks list as the outstanding pickup two years in a row. Moreover, the last time we ran full-size pickups in a head-to-head comparison, the Silverado beat its domestic competition and the Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan. It was also the North American Truck of the Year in 2007.
Verdict
The Silverado does a great all-around job: The engines are torquey and willing, the transmissions are well calibrated, and the steering and the ride are the best compromise in class. The HD’s diesel option is perfect for people who need to tow. Silverados may not be the fastest, able to tow the most, or possessed of the swankiest interiors in the pickup world, but they are the best overall.
Click here to read our full review of the Chevrolet Silverado.
Click here to read our full review of the Chevrolet Silverado HD.
Click here to read our latest comparison test involving the Chevrolet Silverado.
What’s New for 2008
The current Silverado was introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model, and Chevy has left the truck mostly alone. XM satellite radio is now standard on all models, there have been revisions to the seats and interior gauge clusters, and an integrated trailer-brake controller is now available (for 1500 half-ton models).
